Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.

And at Vulture:What’s Missing From J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy? Let the Critics Tell You FOOTNOTE: The Bookman is feeling somewhat virtuous - I could Have bought The Casual Vacancy from Amazon for US$20,90 plus freight or from Barnes & Noble for $35 less 30%, or waited two weeks until I got home to read the review copy that will be waiting for me, but no, I went to a great Indie bookstore in Soho, McNally Jackson,and paid US$35 plus tax $3.11, $38.11. Why? Simply because if we do not support Indie bookshops, where ever we are, they will soon be no more and what a tragic loss that would be.

I despise the freeloaders who go into Indie bookshops in their lunch hour, browse around at the books and then go back to the office and order the books from Amazon. Shame on them and if they keep doing it then they will kill off the Indie bookshops and then they will not be able to view before they buy. Long live the independent bookstore !

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The Casual Vacancy was a very far cry from Harry Potter. The writer has used an incident, namely a death, to bring out the social and political dynamics in a small fictitious English village. There is a scenario that would typify almost any rural community that is wholly weighed down with matters of local importance. The outside world does not matter to the inmates.

The story is meandering and moves at a relaxed pace and it is not devoid of drama.The novel brings out the passions, the hatred, rivalries and resentment that fester in minds of the adults and children. Perhaps this pattern of interaction is applicable to all of humanity if only the scale were to differ. Every character is ensconced in his or her own little world and interacts and thinks accordingly. Maybe all humans are self centred to a large extent be they in a village or a metropolis.

The feel of the book was nice and gossippy and one can easily lose oneself in it. However it did have its sad, even tragic moments.

All-in-all the book is quite brilliant from one of the most evocative authors of modern times.